Things Fall Apart
by LaurenOlivia
Summary: Maybe some things really never change. Even when Michael wakes up with amnesia he hasn't forgotten his love for Sydney. But Lauren is a total stranger to him. This is my take on episode 3x05
1. Amnesia

**Note from the author: **

**Hey everyone! This is my take on episode 3x05. This idea blossomed when my roommate and I were watching this episode and at the moment when Lauren asks Vaughn whether he remembers her or not, I said "What if he said 'No, where's Sydney?'" At that moment I knew I just had to write this to find out. Obviously I'm a SV fan not a LV fan. But who is, really? She's evil.**

**Also a special thanks goes out to All4grandtheftauto for being my awesome Beta! Love you girl!**

**ALSO: I obviously do not own any of the characters portrayed here, this is simply my spin on it. J.J. Abrams is a genius, and when I grow up, I want to be him.**

**Anyways, this is my first shot at fan fiction! I hope you enjoy reading it as much I enjoy writing it!**

CHAPTER 1: Amnesia

It had been days since Sydney had stabbed Vaughn and left him in a coma. It wasn't something that could have been avoided. Either Vaughn would die from a bullet in his brain, or Sydney could wound him deeply enough to make Simon believe he was dead. To Sydney, the choice was clear. Lauren however didn't seem to appreciate her decision. But of course she wouldn't. Lauren and Sydney were completely different.

Within Vaughn's hospital room, Lauren sat and watched her sleeping husband. Still fuming over the discovery that it had been Sydney who put him here. There was a very real possibility that Vaughn would suffer significant brain damage. Or even worse- that he would never wake up.

Suddenly Vaughn opened his eyes. He looked at Lauren with a puzzled look on his face, almost as if he was searching for something.

"Michael!" Lauren exclaimed, wasting no time in moving from her chair to the confused man before her. She threw her arms around him, beaming. But Michael made no move to return her embrace. Lauren sat up and looked at him, her arms retreating to her sides. She reassessed his features.

"Do you remember me?" She asked shakily.

Vaughn shook his head weakly, adding hoarsely, "Where's Sydney?"

Lauren's eyes went wide. She grasped Vaughn's wrists and pleaded with him.

"Michael, I'm your wife!"

Vaughn looked shocked, his brows knit together making his confusion even more apparent. He glanced at his left hand noting the golden band that he wore on his ring-finger. Vaughn wrenched his hands away from Lauren's grasp. He shook his head incredulously as he looked at the woman who was no more than a stranger to him.

"No. I need Sydney. Where is she? Who put you up to this?" His questions slowly turned into demands. In his mind Lauren's words had to be a part of some sick joke. Or even worse…."Who do you work for?" Instantly, he realized that he must have been abducted. Although he couldn't make out his last solid memory, he knew in his heart that this woman could not be his wife. The only woman he intended to give that label to was Sydney Bristow.

Vaughn pushed Lauren from his bedside and began fumbling with the wires connecting him to the myriad of monitors in the room. Still in a state of shock, Lauren made no move to stop her husband. Her mouth hung agape. Soon she snapped out of her terrified trance and put her hand on his, preventing his progress. Her cold blue eyes narrowed on him, a thin line of despair forming between her brows. "How can you remember Sydney and not me?" Her voice was defeated. As if she already knew the answer. Lauren was no idiot. She had seen the longing glances Sydney and Vaughn had shared in the past, however brief they were. She knew they had a history. But she never expected what was happening now. Lauren reached her hand out, as if to caress her husband's jaw line, but he pushed her away.

Having disconnected himself entirely from the machines and the IV drip, Vaughn stood swiftly from his bed. Surprisingly he only needed to brace himself once on the bed frame to right himself before moving to the door. He was so confused. He didn't know whether to believe that this woman was his wife, or that she was some terrorist agent masquerading as such, to brainwash him. Either way, he didn't want to be here. He wanted- no, needed Sydney.

And suddenly as if on cue, a knock could be heard from the other side of the door before Sydney entered the room. A huge smile spread across her lips as she noticed Vaughn was not only awake but standing. "Vaughn!" she cried excitedly. Michael's own delight took over his confusion and he grabbed the woman into a tight embrace. "Sydney, you're here…" he murmured against her shoulder.

In the corner of the room Lauren watched the exchange with an expression that can only be described as pure horror. Her glare met Sydney's eyes, and Sydney unwrapped herself from Vaughn's arms. "Of course I am." Her smile was smaller now, not reaching her eyes. She knew something was amiss. Why was Vaughn embracing her and not Lauren?

"Lauren, when did he wake up?" Sydney's voice was steady as she probed for answers to her questions without sounding callous. Lauren said nothing. Her eyes were on Vaughn.

Vaughn's eyes went wide as he looked first at Sydney and then at Lauren, and back again. He repeated this circuit several times before speaking.

"Sydney… how do you know this woman?" As the words fell from Vaughn's mouth, Sydney's eyes widened. Looking to Lauren, then back at Vaughn she finally answered.

"Vaughn…She's your wife." Her voice was careful and slow. Sydney couldn't be more confused. It was as if she and Vaughn had changed places. Except he had mysteriously gained a life partner where she had lost one. She knew exactly how he felt, scared and lost. Just as she had when she woke up in Hong Kong.

Vaughn shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. It was almost as if he didn't want to hear it. He had a brief thought that both of the women before him were Covenant, and that they had doubled Sydney. But he couldn't accept it. Truthfully, he didn't know what to accept. So he accepted nothing. He looked at the two women, and spoke with a careful voice. They needed to believe what he had to say.

"I'm sorry, I need some time alone to think…I just can't process all of this right now." A very defeated looking Vaughn sat back down on the bed, and rested his forehead in his palm.

Sydney looked at her once-upon-a-time soul mate, and a sigh. She wanted to be here for him. But that was no longer her place. She looked at Lauren, and nodded before she opened the door and left the room.

Lauren, still distraught, acknowledged Sydney's nod with a curt one of her own. As her husband's ex-flame left the room, she turned her sad eyes back on him.

"Michael…I love you." Vaughn didn't answer or even acknowledge that she had spoken. Lauren placed her hand on his shoulder as a tear rolled down her cheek. Realizing it was futile to wait around in this room, she followed Sydney's lead and left the room.

**I hope you liked it! More chapters will be up soon!**

**Please review!**


	2. Escape Artist

**Note from the Author:**

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 2! Maybe I should have waited a little bit to wait for reviews for chapter 1 before putting this one up, but I just couldn't. I love writing this story so much! Its almost like its writing itself! **

**Again, thank you to All4grandtheftauto for being such an amazing friend, supporter, and beta! You're the best!**

**I don't own any other the characters portrayed here, all of the credit goes to J.J. Abrams. **

**Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 2: Escape Artist

As soon as Lauren had left the room and Vaughn was sure no one was going to come back in, he leapt from the small hospital bed. He began pacing. What was happening? Who was this woman, Lauren? Was she really his wife? No, she couldn't be. Could she? Vaughn felt like he was going insane. The only thing that kept him grounded, was Sydney's face. Her smile. The very smile she gave him when she entered the hospital room. But then, why was she alright with his alleged wife? Had she given up on him? Why couldn't he remember?

He felt a sharp pain in his chest. Instantly his hand moved to his stab wound. He realized he had no recollection of why he would even be in a hospital. He went to the mirror on the wall hoping that if he looked at the wound it would jog his memory. He pulled down the fabric of the hospital gown and let his eyes fall to the reflected image of his chest. Right below his last rib on the left side was a white bandage. He removed the bandage to reveal a clean cut. It was about an inch and a half long and had been sealed with 8 stitches. He knew it had to have been administered by a dagger of some sort. He ran his fingers over the stitches, but still no memory came. Who had done this to him? He had no idea, but he knew he had to leave this place.

He began searching the room for clothing. He couldn't very well escape a hospital wearing only the thin gown he was dressed in now. Vaughn moved quickly and silently about the room, searching until he moved to the small adjoining bathroom. He found a pair of slacks that he recognized as his own, and a long sleeved button-down shirt folded atop a shelf. Maybe Sydney had brought these here for him. Or was it his 'wife'? He now had a full outfit to change into with shoes. However he couldn't find his cell phone or wallet. But the well-trained agent didn't see this as a tremendous obstacle—just a minor setback.

Once he had changed out of the hospital gown and back into his own clothes, he left the bathroom. He had begun to form a plan; he wasn't sure it would work, but he had to try. Moving slowly, Vaughn finally reached the door that would lead out into the rest of the hospital. He put his ear to the door. No sound came from the other side. He had noticed the night sky outside the small window of the room earlier. Perhaps the night shift wasn't as large or as attentive. At least he hoped so. He looked up and to the right of the door. Just as he had suspected there was a map of the hospital mounted on the wall in case of fire. He slipped the map out from the mounted frame and quickly memorized his best route of escape. He took a deep breath. He had no back up, no weapons, and had woken up in a hospital. His odds of escape weren't very high, and he would only have one shot at this. If he didn't make it, that would be it.

Nevertheless, with one more deep breath, Vaughn opened the door wide. As he expected there were only two orderlies. Neither of them noticed when the door had opened; even if they had, they didn't look fit enough to chase him. Glancing at the map one last time he sprinted down the hallway. Choosing the stairwell over the elevator, he sped down the flights of stairs. Apparently, one of the orderlies had noticed his running down the hall and called security because he heard shouting above him.

"HEY COME BACK HERE!" The gruff voice of the male came from maybe one or two flights above him. Still Vaughn moved on. Finally reaching the door to the first floor, he moved to open it. But before he could, the security guard grabbed the collar of his shirt. Without a second thought, Vaughn's agency training kicked in. Vaughn swung his elbow backwards into the other man's gut. He was rewarded with a grunt of pain, and the release of his collar. Even though the guard was doubled over, Vaughn knew he would recover soon. He would either chase after him still, or call for back up to do it for him. Quickly he scanned the room. He saw what he needed almost immediately. Vaughn ripped the fire extinguisher from the wall. Hefting his newfound weapon as if it were a baseball bat, he struck the guard on the back of the head. The force behind the blow wasn't enough to kill him or even cause any real permanent damage. It was just enough to knock him unconscious and allow Vaughn to steal his radio. Vaughn lifted the device to his mouth and imitated the guard's low voice.

"He's escaping out the front exit." He kept the radio on him in case he needed it again. Now that the rest of the security team would be looking near the front exit, Vaughn was free to escape out the back. Luckily, that had been his plan all along. He opened the door of the stairwell and ran out into an empty hallway. He sprinted down the corridor and opened the back exit door.

Finally, he was free of the hospital. He sprinted out of the parking lot and down the street. Soon he knew he was in L.A. by his surroundings. He tossed the radio into a trashcan as soon as he was three blocks from the hospital. He crossed the street still running. He then cut through an alley, so that he would be on a completely different street from the hospital. He didn't even know if anyone was tailing him, but he decided it was best to be sure that no one could.

Once he was sure no one was following him, he stopped running. Until now he had been going on the adrenaline from his initial fear. But now that was fizzling out. His chest wound ached, as did his legs. Taking a moment to place his hands on his knees and breathe, he thought about what to do next. He realized that he hadn't really thought this plan through very well. He had no cell-phone, he didn't know where he lived, and he didn't know whom to trust.

But just then, he knew exactly whom to trust- Weiss.

**I hope you enjoyed this! More to come, very soon!**

**Please review!**


End file.
